On the groovy train

The New Year is naturally a time when people's eyes are drawn to the jobs pages. Following a year of recession, the urge for a new start could be particularly strong.

With competition likely to be fierce, gaining the right qualifications can give you an edge. However, finding time to attend college, write assignments and study for exams is easier said than done when you are working a 50-hour week.

Derek Jones, vocational programmes manager at food and drink sector skills council Improve, says the food industry has always been a difficult sector in which to work towards new qualifications.

"Changing shift patterns can cause problems in terms of getting access to colleges. If you're in work and over the age of 25, it's also quite hard to get government funding as an individual. What is available tends to be channelled through employers and they only tend to release employees if there is a direct benefit to their particular job," he says. "If a person wants to develop in a different direction, away from their current position, most employers will probably say 'do it in your own time'."

Times are changing, however, says Jones with more in-house training, distance learning and smaller bite-sized modules, which fit around firms' production schedules. At the heart of this is the Qualifications and Credit Framework, which is being introduced across all vocational qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This awards credits to a diverse range of qualifications with one credit equal to 10 hours of study. "It means work-based qualifications can be done in small chunks covering different topics and levels, and these can be built up to a qualification over time," says Jones. "Employers will hopefully be encouraged to pay for staff to take smaller modules, which are specific to a business, while employees will find it easier to study for their development in their own time."

Professional Certificates in Food Technology are an example of this new breed of qualification. As recognised Level 4 Higher Education qualifications, worth 60 credits, Professional Certificates cover various sectors of the food industry and are split into three 12-week modules covering Science; Product Composition and Manufacture; and Processing and Engineering.

The qualification only requires students to attend college two days per module with around 80% of the course completed via distance learning and assignments that are directly related to the learner's own factory.

At Reaseheath College in Cheshire, which teaches Professional Certificates in Dairy and Bakery Technology, each unit costs £317.

"The course is aimed at middle-managers in production, technical, product development, engineering, quality and continuous improvement roles," says Chris Edwards, food training and development manager. "Students tend to have either risen up through the ranks and need more formal education or have moved from a different industry into the food sector."

Beyond the two days spent at college, learners dedicate around 30 hours of home study to each module.

Foundation for the Future​

The next level up from a Professional Certificate is a Foundation Degree a qualification that is increasingly required for senior posts, says Edwards. Reaseheath offers a full-time Foundation Degree in Food Industry with Management, and a Foundation Degree in Food Chain Technology, which is achieved by building up two dozen 12-week modules, which can be completed at work. These cover Analysis and Laboratory Techniques; Preservation and Packaging; and Nutrition and Labelling among others, plus optional modules that are specific to a learner's role.

"People who decide to take a foundation degree may have reached a wage they can't surpass and want to go for another job. If you want to hold down a senior technology position in a food firm, you tend to need a degree, especially if you are being audited by the supermarkets," says Edwards.

Jones says that foundation degrees are a particularly good way to change career paths in the food industry because of their modular nature. "If you're looking to transfer from bakery to meat or marketing to a technical role, a Foundation Degree in Food Manufacturing is a really good option because you can do it while you work," he says. "It teaches people who have worked on the factory floor skills such as report writing and research techniques, which you need in more senior technical positions."

A jolly good fellowship​

Another option for production managers is to sign up to Cranfield University's Fellowship in Manufacturing Management. This full-time course combines intensive teaching with supervised industrial placements covering three key areas: manufacturing, business management and personal effectiveness.

Cranfield devised a part-time version of the course for managers in the red meat sector in conjunction with the Red Meat Industry Forum over an 18-month period in 200708. Teaching was split into one-week modules with candidates carrying out work-based projects in between.

"A lot of the managers in the red meat industry had been recruited young and worked their way up, so knowledge had been passed down without reference to progress in other areas of industry," says Geoff Nelder, the fellowship director. "We emphasise pragmatic and reflective learning, so there was some formal teaching, but also games, exercises, simulations and projects. It's about putting the skills we talk about into practice through tasks such as bridge building."

In 2010, Cranfield University will introduce a part-time programme drawing on its experience with the Red Meat Industry. This will comprise four weeks' teaching at Cranfield combined with on-site coaching of work-based projects over a nine-month programme, costing about £8,000, with a range of options for those wishing to extend their learning thereafter.

While the recession has meant some cuts in budgets, many still believe in the long-term financial benefits of a well-trained workforce, says Nikki King, client relationship manager at Reading Scientific Services Limited (RSSL). The firm provides in-house training on areas such as food hygiene, hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) and auditing.

"We find companies prefer courses to be run at their place of work and to be tailored to their staff's exact needs. For example, looking at preventing a hazard that has actually come up in the business or how to audit suppliers to meet certifications," she says.

Auditing courses at RSSL include a two-day Practical Audit Skills course and the five-day Lead Auditor Course, certified by the International Register of Certificated Auditors. This covers internal audits and external, supplier audits.

"It's popular with people who want to break in to the industry, but also those already involved who want a change of direction," she says. "Auditing adds another string to their bows and could enable them to command a higher salary."

Whatever option you choose, it's vital that you go in with your eyes open, says Jones.

"People need to be aware that it is going to be hard work. The biggest thing you need is commitment but you also need support from your employer and your family. You need to be disciplined and to make space to study. It might mean changing a room into an office so that you can focus."FM​

====

Profile: HELEN DOE​
Quality assurance manager​
Broad Oak Farm​
Helen Doe joined Herts-based sausage firm Broad Oak Farm as a general packer back in 1998. Today she works as a quality assurance manager and heads up the training centre.
Her rapid ascent began when she took a Level 2 Basic Food Hygiene course, certified by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH), at SFB Training Services in Brentwood Essex.
“I got a taste for training and did the Intermediate (Level 3) and Advanced (Level 4) courses, plus a course in Intermediate hazard analysis critical control point,” says Doe. “Broad Oak was really supportive, paying for the courses and giving me time off for classes.”
The qualifications helped Doe secure her position as quality assurance manager six years ago, but also prompted her to study for the CIEH Professional Trainer Certificate with a local consultant. She is now director of training at the Society of Food Hygiene & Technology and has started a Foundation Degree in Food Manufacturing.
As well as keeping Broad Oak’s 45 staff up to speed, Doe also runs food hygiene courses for employees from outside firms, such as Cadbury and Trading Standards at Chelmsford Council. “It’s not difficult to juggle the different roles. I really like the variety.”
● For more careers issues, visit www.jobs.foodmanufacture.co.uk/career